


Crash

by firerwolf



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Halo 5, Mild Language, a little Palmer/Lasky passively mentioned, filling the gaps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 19:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17607137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: The story of what happened to Commander Palmer after her Pelican was EMPed in Halo 5.





	Crash

Flying a Pelican had never been a particular skill of Palmer's. Sure she was certified to fly them but that didn't mean she was great at it. She was more of a boots on the ground sort of soldier, preferring solid ground under her feet. If she had to choose a mode of transportation from a ship to a planet Pelicans were her second choice. Her ideal form of transport was a drop pod, a metal container that they shot out of star ships in orbit providing express transport to wherever things needed to die. So it figures that on a day where she was stuck babysitting a woman she hated while everyone else toppled the remainder of the Covenant she now had to deal with her Pelican which was now falling out of the sky. 

Palmer’s mind had gone into emergency mode the moment their Pelican had been hit by the emp. All of the electronic controls were dead so she’d have to rely only on what was manual and run by purely physical systems. Sarah was aware that Halsey was saying something but she ignored it, remaining focused on getting them to the ground alive. Unfortunately, Sunion had very little ground to speak of. The city was little more than platforms of buildings on sticks high above a raging sea. That didn’t leave her a lot of places to land them as the sea wasn’t an option. She'd have to find a place that was flat and long enough that she could land, make sure they didn't land too quickly, but be sure that they didn't slow so much that they lost all of their glide. Certainly not a situation she'd ever run a sim for. 

Sarah scanned the area ahead of them, looking for any landing zone that would even be half decent. With the adrenaline in her system the world around her seemed to slow with her heightened senses. There were several possible locations but none of them were large enough for them to be able to slow effectively and insure that the impact wouldn't kill them, or they'd be sent skidding off into the sea. She decided she'd have to do something pretty risky but out of all their options it was the best choice. She angled the Pelican toward a space where there was a small courtyard that was mostly empty, hitting a few of the manual controls to activate flaps on the wings in the hope of creating a bit more drag to slow the vehicle. The vehicle jerked at the sudden decrease in speed and Palmer fought to keep it's nose on target. 

"Brace yourself," Sarah ordered as the ground was coming up on them fast. She couldn't slow them enough to make a clean landing but if her plan worked, and with a bit of luck, they'd at least survive. Palmer made sure the Pelican was parallel with the ground as they slammed into the courtyard, skidding forward across the alien metal with a deafening screech. Now that they'd hit the ground Sarah had lost all of her control over the vehicle's direction hoping that she'd gotten the angle right to hit their target. Palmer gritted her teeth as the Pelican shook with a force that seemed like it would tear the vehicle apart. Her eyes were glued to the front windscreen as she watched the hole in the building grow larger as they rushed toward it. The cockpit was swallowed up by the darkness of the building as a loud crash accompanied the wings being torn off their vehicle. The impact caused the skidding hull of the Pelican to shift and angle, smashing the tail of the pelican into the side of the opening. 

Palmer's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the structure as she took in the new situation. The wreck was now spinning wildly, coming up on the opposite wall of the building and the fast stop that it promised to deliver. Sarah's automatic response to the danger kicked in and she pulled herself out of her seat and toward the front of the vehicle. She set her feet against one side of the cockpit and grabbed onto the front seat, wrapping herself around the civilian passenger like an extra layer of steel protection. The Pelican slammed into the wall and Palmer absorbed the impact. As a Spartan the high danger moments seemed like they took ten times as long as they actually did. But that also meant that in the wake of danger she could get back to action the moment the danger was passed. 

The moment Sarah was sure that the Pelican had come to a full stop she assessed the situation. The vehicle hadn’t hit the wall head on, the spin having shifted the impact to the craft’s side, spreading the force out across more area. The windshield was spiderwebbed with cracks and there was notable bends to the metal around her. From her position she couldn’t be sure of Doctor Halsey’s condition but until they were free of the wreckage it wasn’t a concern. Palmer didn’t note any physical pain and she shifted to figure out what range of motion she had in the now more cramped space. That didn’t mean she hadn’t suffered any damage, since becoming a Spartan her pain response and threshold had dulled, but it likely meant she at least hadn’t been stabbed by any debris. That still hurt like a bastard, Spartan or not. 

Palmer was able to shift her arms and feet, setting them against the seat she was protecting, set her back against the glass behind her, and pushed. She registered some resistance form her body, but she pushed past it until finally the weakened barrier popped out of place and was easier to push aside. This gave Palmer the space she needed to be able to reach the mechanical release on the hatch at the base of the window and activate it. The barrier came open, though it only opened half way. It was enough room for Palmer to fully assess their situation so she could decide their next move. The building they'd crashed in was empty, and the power seemed to have been knocked out. Palmer quickly checked Doctor Halsey who was stirring so at least she was alive. She didn't see any outward sign of injury on the elderly woman so, for the moment, Palmer set her mind to what to do next.

She forcefully pushed the hatch a bit further open, allowing Palmer to climb out of the wreckage. The Spartan Commander took stock of the Pelican's condition, disappointed to find that the rear of the craft was too ruined for her to get access to the armory in the Pelican's hull. That meant, for now, she was unarmed. If she got lucky maybe there would be a weapon she could pick up from a soldier fallen from one side or the other. Sarah heard Halsey curse and she moved back to the front of the Pelican, pulling herself up to look in at the woman. "Done sleeping?" Palmer asked as she reached in and helped the woman with the broken buckle of her seat's restraints. It took just one strong yank and the doctor was freed. 

"I wasn't sleeping. I was unconscious after your ridiculous stunt." Halsey tried to stubbornly pull herself out of her seat but it was clear to Sarah that she wasn't going to manage it alone. Palmer grabbed her up, hauling her out of the wreck and setting her down on the floor, ignoring the woman's protest. 

"We need to get moving before someone finds us," Palmer said, looking around the building to evaluate their options. She started toward the exit that was the closest but stopped when Halsey didn't start following her. "Get moving, Doc. We gotta go before someone unfriendly comes to investigate the wreck." 

"I'm more than sixty years old, have one arm, something that is your fault if you remember, and you just nearly killed me with your reckless stunt." Halsey was clearly unsteady, and she looked a bit pale. 

Palmer ignored the comment about Halsey's arm being her fault. It wasn't like she cut it off and after all the lives Halsey had spent for her selfish desires Sarah didn't feel like dealing with the obnoxious woman pointlessly arguing. "We are in likely hostile area, with no weapons, and we made a loud entrance. We need to get away from this spot quickly, unless you'd like to find out how plasma burns feel. I can tell you from experience it's not fun." 

Halsey scowled but without a word moved to follow Palmer. She'd take a surly and silent Halsey over a loud arguing Halsey any day. Particularly when they were in enemy territory. They exited the building into a hallway that stretched out, likely far enough that it connected to another building or even another of the platforms. Palmer lead them forward at a slow pace. Not just for caution, as she needed to pay attention to what was ahead, but also what was behind, but because Halsey would never be able to keep up with the speed Palmer would prefer to go at. 

They had traveled for only a short time before there was a familiar, high pitched sound. Palmer held up her hand for the doctor to stop. She searched around and spotted a set of metal weapon racks that were up against the wall. They were empty, likely cleaned out by Covenant racing to arm themselves against the invading Swords of Sanghielios. Palmer pushed Halsey over and pointed at the space between the racks. "Hide," Sarah whispered. Thankfully the doctor didn't fight, allowing Palmer to deal with the situation. 

Sarah moved down the hallway, listening intently, using all her heightened senses to gather as much information as she could before she would have to face her enemies. Now that she was moving and the adrenaline of the crash was fading Palmer was sure she hadn't walked away without complications which would be a problem in her unarmed state. Her hip was starting to ache as she moved but she had to set that pain aside. Now that she was getting closer, she was sure the sound she'd heard was the voices of Kig Yar. Their high-pitched squawks were unmistakable and she was certain that there was more than one. If she'd had her helmet on it would have translated for her but without it they might as well be speaking in tongues. But she knew an argument when she heard it in any language. To her benefit that meant they might not be on the highest of alert. Sarah moved behind one of the columns, confident she was far enough away from Halsey that there’s be no danger and she could work. 

Sarah remained as still as she could, listening intently to the sounds of the approaching foes. They were muttering something to each in sharp tones. Probably complaining about how they'd gotten their ass kicked by the Arbiter. She waited patiently as the steps approached and passed before she moved forward. When Palmer stepped out into the center of the hallway she was happy to find that the three Jackals were too distracted to notice the ton of armored Spartan behind them. She reached out and clamped her hand around the closest alien's beak, keeping it quiet. She stepped back into her cover and with a swift twist snapped the foe's neck. 

There was a squawk from the other two Jackals but she was certain that they hadn't seen her. Palmer quickly removed the portable shield from the Jackal's wrist and attached it to her own. She took a deep breath and put her plan into action. If she was lucky her opponents would be as beat up as she was from the crash. She stepped out into the hallway, activated the shield on her left wrist before she charged. The Jackals were so caught off guard that the closest Jackal didn't have a chance to react before she slammed into it. They both fell to the ground and Sarah rolled over the enemy, using the pure weight of her armor do the damage. As soon as she was on her feet she raised the shield to put it between her and the enemy still on its feet. At this point the final Jackal had recovered, activated its own shield, and readied its weapon. Sarah raised her shield to protect her unarmored head as she moved over and crouched down. Her hand clamped over the throat of the stunned Jackal on the ground and with one forceful squeeze she crushed the alien's throat. The remaining Jackal cried out in anger and Sarah couldn't help but smile as it was about to be more upset. She moved forward, keeping her grip on the dead body. Her shield collided with the Jackal's shield and as she had more strength and weight it set the alien off balance. It gave her just the opening she needed to swing the dead Jackal at it's friend, forcing it off it's feet. As soon as it was off its feet Sarah stepped forward and with one forceful stomp brought her boot down, caving in the avian creature's chest. 

Palmer let herself have a moment to breath with the threat gone, an action she immediately regretted. The ache of her injuries returned and she tried to force it back away. She removed the energy shield from one of the fallen Jackals and picked up its plasma pistol before she returned to where she'd had Halsey hide. 

“We’re clear,” Palmer said as she attached the energy shield she’d taken onto her other wrist. It wasn’t as good as her armor’s shields but from the fact that her shield had not activated when she’d impacted the Kig Yar she knew they weren’t working. Why? She had no idea. What she did know was that the portable shields would give her some cover which was better than none. “We need to move though. Dead bodies often put people on their toes.” Palmer turned and, now armed, moved down the hallway with a little less caution and more urgency. There were armed enemies here and the longer they were in unsafe space the more she risked something happening to Halsey. She may not like the woman but it was her job to keep her alive. She always got the shit jobs.


End file.
